U.S. patent application number 13/428782 was filed with the patent office on 2013-09-26 for link of mobile devices to facilitate mobile commerce transactions.
This patent application is currently assigned to INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. The applicant listed for this patent is Angela R. JONES, Ruthie D. LYLE. Invention is credited to Angela R. JONES, Ruthie D. LYLE.
Application Number | 20130254070 13/428782 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49213256 |
Filed Date | 2013-09-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130254070 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
JONES; Angela R. ; et
al. |
September 26, 2013 |
LINK OF MOBILE DEVICES TO FACILITATE MOBILE COMMERCE
TRANSACTIONS
Abstract
In linking mobile devices to facilitate a mobile commerce
transaction, a primary mobile device creates an invitation to link
to a mobile commerce account of the primary mobile device with a
mobile commerce payment system and sends the invitation to a
secondary mobile device. The secondary mobile device receives the
invitation from the primary mobile device and sends an agreement to
link to the mobile commerce account to the primary mobile device.
The primary mobile device receives the agreement from the secondary
mobile device and sends credentials for linking to the mobile
commerce account to the secondary mobile device. The secondary
mobile device receives the credentials from the primary mobile
device and acquires information for enabling the link to the mobile
commerce account using the credentials. The secondary mobile device
links to the mobile commerce account using the information.
Inventors: |
JONES; Angela R.; (Durham,
NC) ; LYLE; Ruthie D.; (Durham, NC) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
JONES; Angela R.
LYLE; Ruthie D. |
Durham
Durham |
NC
NC |
US
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES
CORPORATION
Armonk
NY
|
Family ID: |
49213256 |
Appl. No.: |
13/428782 |
Filed: |
March 23, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/26.41 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 20/322 20130101;
G06Q 20/3278 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/26.41 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 30/00 20120101
G06Q030/00 |
Claims
1-8. (canceled)
9. A computer program product for linking mobile devices to
facilitate a mobile commerce transaction, the computer program
product comprising: a computer readable memory device having
computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer
readable program code configured to: receive an invitation from a
primary mobile device to link to a mobile commerce account of the
primary mobile device with a mobile commerce payment system; in
response to receiving the invitation, send an agreement to link to
the mobile commerce account to the primary mobile device; receive
credentials for linking to the mobile commerce account from the
primary mobile device; and acquire information for enabling the
link to the mobile commerce account using the credentials.
10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer
readable program code is further configured to: link to the mobile
commerce account using the information.
11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the link to
the mobile commerce account is configured to be persistent, active
for a predetermined time duration, or active until a predetermined
condition is met.
12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the invitation
comprises a message comprising an object containing: an identity of
the primary mobile device or a primary mobile device owner; an
identity of the secondary mobile device or a secondary mobile
device owner; and a duration for which the link to the mobile
commerce account is active.
13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer
readable program code configured to send the agreement to link to
the mobile commerce account to the primary mobile device is further
configured to: receive a confirmation of an acceptance of the
invitation from the secondary mobile device; and in response to
receiving the confirmation, send the credentials to link to the
mobile commerce account to the secondary mobile device.
14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the
credentials comprise a confirmation key acquired from the mobile
commerce payment system by the primary mobile device.
15. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer
readable program code configured to acquire the information for
enabling the link to the mobile commerce account using the
credentials is further configured to: acquire the information from
the mobile commerce payment system for enabling the link to the
mobile commerce account using the credentials.
16. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the
information for enabling the link to the mobile commerce account
comprises: mobile commerce account information provided by the
mobile commerce payment system that securely associates the primary
mobile device and the secondary mobile device.
17. A system comprising: a primary mobile device for creating an
invitation to link to a mobile commerce account of the primary
mobile device with a mobile commerce payment system and sending the
invitation to a secondary mobile device; and the secondary mobile
device for receiving the invitation from the primary mobile device
and sending an agreement to link to the mobile commerce account to
the primary mobile device, wherein the primary mobile device
receives the agreement from the secondary mobile device and sends
credentials for linking to the mobile commerce account to the
secondary mobile device, wherein the secondary mobile device
receives the credentials from the primary mobile device and acquire
information for enabling the link to the mobile commerce account
using the credentials.
18. The system of claim 17, wherein the secondary mobile device
further links to the mobile commerce account using the
information.
19. The system of claim 17, wherein the link to the mobile commerce
account is configured by the primary mobile device to be
persistent, active for a predetermined time duration, or active
until a predetermine condition is met.
20. The system of claim 17, wherein the invitation comprises a
message comprising an object containing: an identity of the primary
mobile device or a primary mobile device owner; an identity of the
secondary mobile device or a secondary mobile device owner; and a
duration for which the link to the mobile commerce account is
active.
21-24. (canceled)
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] Mobile commerce, or "M-Commerce", includes applications and
services that are accessible from Internet-enabled mobile devices.
In particular, M-Commerce provides the ability to use a mobile
device to participate in financial transactions. Some M-Commerce
services use the Near Field Communication (NFC) standard. Two
NFC-enabled devices establish radio communication with each other
by touching them together or bringing them into close proximity. An
NFC-enabled mobile device may include an NFC chip, while another
device may include an NFC chip reader. When the two devices come
into close proximity, the NFC chip reader wakes up the NFC chip on
the mobile device and establishes a communication link between
them. Data may then be exchanged between the devices. For example,
a merchant may provide a kiosk with an NFC chip reader. During a
financial transaction, such as the purchase of consumer items, the
mobile device user brings the NFC-enabled mobile device in close
proximity to the kiosk so that the NFC chip reader in the kiosk may
establish a communication link with the mobile device. Data is then
exchanged between the user's mobile device and the kiosk, such as
information for authentication and payment account information.
Upon conclusion of the financial transaction, a paper or electronic
receipt may be generated and provided to the user or the user's
mobile device.
[0002] However, unlike a traditional commercial transaction,
current M-Commerce applications do not provide a mobile device the
ability to associate other mobile devices with the same m-commerce
account. For example, it is common practice with traditional
physical credit cards for a primary account owner to authorize
additional users to charge to the same credit card account. This is
not possible with current M-Commerce applications.
SUMMARY
[0003] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a
method for linking mobile devices to facilitate a mobile commerce
transaction, comprises: receiving, by a secondary mobile device, an
invitation from a primary mobile device to link to a mobile
commerce account of the primary mobile device with a mobile
commerce payment system; in response to receiving the invitation,
sending, by the secondary mobile device, an agreement to link to
the mobile commerce account to the primary mobile device;
receiving, by the secondary mobile device, credentials for linking
to the mobile commerce account from the primary mobile device; and
acquiring, by the secondary mobile device, information for enabling
the link to the mobile commerce account using the credentials. The
secondary mobile device further links to the mobile commerce
account using the information. The link to the mobile commerce
account may be configured by the primary mobile device to be
persistent, active for a predetermined time duration, or active
until a predetermined condition is met.
[0004] In one aspect of the present invention, the invitation
comprises a message comprising an object containing: an identity of
the primary mobile device or a primary mobile device owner; an
identity of the secondary mobile device or a secondary mobile
device owner; and a duration for which the link to the mobile
commerce account is active.
[0005] In one aspect of the present invention, the primary mobile
device receives a confirmation of an acceptance of the invitation
from the secondary mobile device, and in response to receiving the
confirmation, sends the credentials to link to the mobile commerce
account to the secondary mobile device. The credentials may
comprise a confirmation key acquired from the mobile commerce
payment system by the primary mobile device.
[0006] In one aspect of the present invention, the secondary mobile
device acquires the information from the mobile commerce payment
system for enabling the link to the mobile commerce account using
the credentials. The information for enabling the link to the
mobile commerce account comprises mobile commerce account
information provided by the mobile commerce payment system that
securely associates the primary mobile device and the secondary
mobile device.
[0007] According to another embodiment of the present invention, a
method for linking mobile devices to facilitate a mobile commerce
transaction, comprises: creating, by a primary mobile device, an
invitation to link to a mobile commerce account of the primary
mobile device with a mobile commerce payment system; sending, by
the primary mobile device, the invitation to a secondary mobile
device; receiving, by the primary mobile device, an agreement to
link to the mobile commerce account from the secondary mobile
device; in response to receiving the agreement, sending, by the
primary mobile device, credentials for linking to the mobile
commerce account to the secondary mobile device, wherein the
secondary mobile device acquires information for enabling the link
to the mobile commerce account using the credentials. The secondary
mobile device further links to the mobile commerce account using
the information.
[0008] In one aspect of the present invention, the link to the
mobile commerce account is configured by the primary mobile device
to be persistent, active for a predetermined time duration, or
active until a predetermined condition is met.
[0009] In one aspect of the present invention, the invitation
comprises a message comprising an object containing: an identity of
the primary mobile device or a primary mobile device owner; an
identity of the secondary mobile device or a secondary mobile
device owner; and a duration for which the link to the mobile
commerce account is active.
[0010] System and computer program products corresponding to the
above-summarized methods are also described and claimed herein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a system for linking
mobile devices to facilitate a mobile commerce transaction
according to the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method
for linking mobile devices to facilitate an M-commerce transaction
according to the present invention.
[0013] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating in more detail an
embodiment of the method for linking mobile devices to facilitate a
mobile commerce transaction according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of
the present invention may be embodied as a system, method or
computer program product. Accordingly, aspects of the present
invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an
entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident
software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and
hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a
"circuit," "module" or "system." Furthermore, aspects of the
present invention may take the form of a computer program product
embodied in one or more computer readable medium(s) having computer
readable program code embodied thereon.
[0015] Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s)
may be utilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer
readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A
computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not
limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic,
infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any
suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples (a
non-exhaustive list) of the computer readable storage medium would
include the following: an electrical connection having one or more
wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access
memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable
read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a
portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage
device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of
the foregoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable
storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or
store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction
execution system, apparatus, or device.
[0016] A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated
data signal with computer readable program code embodied therein,
for example, in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a
propagated signal may take any of a variety of forms, including,
but not limited to, electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable
combination thereof. A computer readable signal medium may be any
computer readable medium that is not a computer readable storage
medium and that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program
for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system,
apparatus, or device.
[0017] Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be
transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited
to wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any
suitable combination of the foregoing.
[0018] Computer program code for carrying out operations for
aspects of the present invention may be written in any combination
of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented
programming language such as Java.RTM. (Java, and all Java-based
trademarks and logos are trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in
the United States, other countries, or both), Smalltalk, C++ or the
like and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the
"C" programming language or similar programming languages. The
program code may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on
the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on
the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on
the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote
computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type
of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area
network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external
computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet
Service Provider).
[0019] Aspects of the present invention are described below with
reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of
methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products
according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood
that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block
diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations
and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program
instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided
to a processor of a general purpose computer special purpose
computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce
a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the
processor of the computer or other programmable data processing
apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts
specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or
blocks.
[0020] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a
computer readable medium that can direct a computer other
programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to
function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored
in the computer readable medium produce an article of manufacture
including instructions which implement the function/act specified
in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
[0021] The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a
computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other
devices to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on
the computer, other programmable apparatus or other devices to
produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions
which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus
provide processes for implementing the functions/acts specified in
the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
[0022] The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate
the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible
implementations of systems, methods and computer program products
according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this
regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent
a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more
executable instructions for implementing the specified local
function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative
implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of
the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in
succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or
the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order,
depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted
that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart
illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams
and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special
purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions
or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer
instructions.
[0023] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing
particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of
the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and
"the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood
that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used in this
specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers,
steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude
the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers,
steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
[0024] The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and
equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the
claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or
act for performing the function in combination with other claimed
elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present
invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and
description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the
invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations
will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without
departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The
embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the
principles of the invention and the practical application, and to
enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the
invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are
suited to the particular use contemplated.
[0025] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a system for linking
mobile devices to facilitate a mobile commerce transaction
according to the present invention. The system comprises a primary
mobile device 101 and a secondary mobile device 110. In this
embodiment, both the mobile devices 101 and 111 are NFC-enabled
devices, each comprising an NFC chip 104 and 113. The primary
mobile device 101 is operationally coupled to a processor 102 and a
computer readable medium 103. The secondary mobile device 110 is
operationally coupled to a processor 111 and a computer readable
medium 112. The computer readable media 103 and 112 of the devices
101 and 110 store computer readable program codes for implementing
the various embodiments of the present invention, where the mobile
devices 101 and 110 are linked to facilitate M-commerce
transactions using a single M-commerce account. Here, the owner of
the primary mobile device 101 holds an account with the M-commerce
payment system 120. Using the present invention, the primary mobile
device 101 is able to associate one or more secondary mobile
devices 110 with the M-commerce account, such that the primary and
secondary mobile device(s) 101 and 110 are able to charge to the
same M-commerce account.
[0026] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method
for linking mobile devices to facilitate an M-commerce transaction
according to the present invention. The secondary mobile device 110
receives an invitation from the primary mobile device 101 to link
to the primary mobile device's account with the M-commerce payment
system 120 (201). The invitation from the primary mobile device 101
may be in response to a request from the secondary mobile device
110 to establish the link, or the invitation may be initiated at
the primary mobile device 101. The secondary mobile device 110
sends an agreement to link to the M-commerce account to the primary
mobile device 101 (202). In response, the secondary mobile device
110 receives credentials from the primary mobile device 101 for the
secondary mobile device 110 to link to the primary mobile device's
M-commerce account (203). In this embodiment, the credentials
include data that allows the primary and secondary mobile device
101 and 110 to securely exchange contact information. The secondary
mobile device 110, using the credentials, acquires information for
enabling the link to the M-commerce account (204). The secondary
mobile device 110 may link to the M-commerce account using the
information. In this embodiment, the information includes
M-commerce account information provided by the M-commerce payment
system 120 that securely associates the primary and secondary
mobile devices 101 and 110.
[0027] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating in more detail an
embodiment of the method for linking mobile devices to facilitate a
mobile commerce transaction according to the present invention. In
this embodiment, the functionality of M-commerce applications are
extended to allow the primary mobile device owner to identify
secondary mobile devices that the owner would like to link to the
primary mobile device to establish a peer-to-peer infrastructure to
facilitate purchases using one M-commerce account. The primary
mobile device owner may cause the primary mobile device 101 to
create the invitation by identifying the owner of the secondary
mobile device 110, such as by specifying an actual name for the
user of the secondary primary device 110 or a phone number of the
secondary mobile device 110. The primary mobile device owner may
configure the link to be persistent, temporal, or limited in some
other manner. For example, the link may be configured to be active
for a specified time duration, until a total purchase amount has
been charged to the M-commerce account by the secondary mobile
device 110, or when some other predetermined condition is met.
Using these parameters inputting by the primary mobile device
owner, the primary mobile device 101 creates and sends the
invitation to the secondary mobile device 110 to link to the
M-commerce account of the primary mobile device 101 (301). The
invitation may be in the form of a specialized Short Message
Service (SMS) that includes an embedded object containing
information, such as the name of the user of the primary device 101
and the phone number of the primary mobile device 101, the name of
the user of the secondary mobile device 110 and the phone number of
the secondary mobile device 110, and the duration of the link.
Other manners of sending the invitation may be used, including
those that do not require a proximity link between the primary and
second mobile devices 101 and 110, such as Email, Internet,
etc.
[0028] The secondary mobile device 110 receives the invitation from
the primary mobile device 101 (302). The invitation may then be
displayed by the secondary mobile device 110, allowing the
secondary mobile device owner to accept or reject the invitation.
In response to receiving an input to accept the invitation from the
secondary mobile device owner, the secondary mobile device 110
sends a confirmation of acceptance of the invitation to the primary
mobile device 101 (303). The confirmation may be in the form of
another SMS.
[0029] The primary mobile device 101 receives the confirmation of
acceptance of the invitation from the secondary mobile device 110
(304), and in response, sends credentials to link to the M-commerce
account to the secondary mobile device 110 (305). The confirmation
may then be displayed by the primary mobile device 101, allowing
the primary mobile device 101 to manage currently linked devices.
In one embodiment, the credentials may be in the form of a
confirmation key acquired from the M-commerce payment system 120 by
the primary mobile device 101. Any type of confirmation key may be
used. In another embodiment, a verification mechanism not involving
the M-commerce payment system 120 may be used. For example, when
the secondary mobile device 110 attempts to use the M-commerce
account in a transaction, the secondary mobile device 110 may be
required to obtain a confirmation from the primary mobile device
before the transaction may be completed. Optionally, the
credentials may be time dependent and required to be used within a
prescribed period of time before rendered inactive.
[0030] The secondary mobile device 110 receives the credentials to
link to the M-commerce account from the primary mobile device 101
(306). The secondary mobile device 110 uses the credentials to
communicate with the M-commerce payment system 120 and acquire
information from the M-commerce payment system 120 to enable the
link to the M-commerce account of the primary mobile device 101
(307). Using the information, the secondary mobile device 110 links
to the M-commerce account of the primary mobile device 101 (308).
Per the configuration by the primary mobile device owner, as
explained above, the link may be limited temporally, by total
amount of charges, or some other parameter. Once the linking of the
secondary mobile device to the primary mobile device's M-commerce
account is completed, the primary mobile device may receive
notification that the secondary mobile device 110 is linked to the
M-commerce account (309).
[0031] When the secondary mobile device 110 attempts to charge to
the M-commerce account, the M-commerce payment system 120 may
determine whether the secondary mobile device 110 is authorized to
access the M-commerce account according to the limitations.
Alternatively, this determination may be made by the secondary
mobile device 110 without requiring involvement of the M-commerce
payment system 120. For example, when the link is configured to be
active for a specified time period, the secondary mobile device 110
may disable the link once the time period expires. Once the
M-commerce transaction is completed by the secondary mobile device
110, a copy of a receipt of M-commerce transaction may be made
available to the primary mobile device 101, the secondary mobile
device 110, the retailer, and/or the M-commerce payment system
120.
[0032] Others manners of disabling the secondary mobile device's
link to the M-commerce account may be used. For example, when the
link is configured to be persistent by the primary mobile device
101, the primary mobile device 101 may inform the M-commerce
payment system 120 that the secondary mobile device 110 is no
longer linked to the M-commerce account. The M-commerce payment
system 120 may then block further access to the M-commerce account
by the secondary mobile device 110. Alternatively, current
applications to disable mobile devices, or to erase data on the
mobile devices, may be extended to also disable the link on the
secondary mobile device 110.
[0033] In the above described manner, the primary mobile device 101
may link a secondary mobile device 110 to the same M-commerce
account without needing to send actual account information to the
secondary mobile device 110. The secondary mobile device 110 may be
allowed to charge to the M-commerce account without having access
to the M-commerce account information itself.
[0034] The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present
invention has been presented for purposes of illustration, but are
not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments
disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to
those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope
and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used
herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the
embodiments, the practical application or technical improvement
over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of
ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed
herein.
* * * * *